


A New Dawn

by heeroluva



Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Trope Subversion/Inversion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-21
Updated: 2013-09-21
Packaged: 2017-12-27 06:16:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/975423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heeroluva/pseuds/heeroluva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the struggle of two alphas who fall in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Dawn

For Haruka the revelation wasn’t a shock. Nor was it expected. It just was, and none of it mattered as long as he could still swim. Or so Haruka told himself until he saw the way that Makoto’s nose flared, taking in his scent, the way his face twisted with fear and heartbreak, his hand tightening painfully around Haruka’s wrist, having pulled him from the tub that had been his home for most of the past twenty fours.

“Haruka.”

For once Haruka missed the “-chan”, didn’t like the weight that Makoto managed to place in that one word. Again Haruka had managed to delude himself in thinking that this wasn’t important, that nothing would change. He’d been wrong.

Haruka and Makoto had been inseparable since they were babies, and when it had become known that their parents had expected them to mate, they’d both scoffed at the idea. At that age, they’d been all “eww” about it because they were best friends and they hadn’t needed anything more, especially not an icky mate. Even as they’d grown older and puberty hit, there had been no one else that could hold their attention for long. Rin was a challenge and a memory and now a friend again, but that was all he’d ever be.

Yesterday all of Haruka’s denial had flown out the window when his knot had swollen for the first time, and it was Makoto’s face that he saw in his mind. But with the breaking dawn all the lies came swarming back: Makoto was his friend, his best friend, and that’s all that mattered, all Haruka needed. Nothing had changed, nothing needed to change.

But here with Makoto standing over him Haruka was suddenly hit by how very childish that view was, and he felt a pang as that innocence slipped away. The way that Makoto looked at Haruka had slowly changed over time, and even Haruka at his most oblivious hadn’t been able to miss it. Makoto had been interested in the changes they’d go through, in the differences between alphas, betas, and omegas. Recently he’d even gotten involved in activism against the unequal treatment of the three, sometimes dragging Haruka along.

Last month when Makoto had come into his own maturity, that he was an alpha, had been a shock. All the tests said he was a beta, just like his parents. Haruka had smelt it of course; it had been impossible to miss, but it hadn’t mattered, not then. His own maturity was still a month off.

At first the sudden attention that swarmed Makoto on his first day back had been amusing: the betas and omegas clamoring for his notice and the alphas annoyed by the competition. On some level Haruka had known that Makoto was handsome, but that hadn’t mattered until then, until he was confronted with the idea of rivalry for his affection, that there were people out there who could take Makoto away from him, could be more important to Makoto than him.

It was the blindness of children. But they were children no more.

“Haruka.”

His name said again pulled him from his thoughts, and this time he rose, grabbing his towel and rubbing his hair with it.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything.

“I’m hungry.”

Not that. It wasn’t what Haruka meant to say, not even close, but he couldn’t force his mouth to form any other words, everything stuck in his throat.

Makoto’s hand fell away, his face suddenly blank and he nodded.

They fell into their pattern as was customary, Haruka entering his room to get dressed while Makoto went downstairs to wait.

Haruka moved on autopilot, wondering how what was or wasn’t between his legs could change everything. Yesterday it hadn’t mattered, but today it suddenly did. The dynamics of their society weren’t hidden from the children; that would have been impossible, but Haruka’s parents despite being a mated alpha and omega pair had never been demonstrative in front of him even when he was a child and they’d spent most of their time at home instead of away on their latest expedition. But he’d spent enough time at Makoto’s household as a child that he had seen the close affection between Makoto’s parents. Despite both of them being betas, their relationship was closer to what media touted the perfect alpha/omega should be.

It was why Haruka had never felt the need to put much value on such things. Because it couldn’t possibly matter that much, right? No matter what he was, it couldn’t matter.

But it did, he knew that now.

Two alphas couldn’t be mates.

Before joining Makoto in the front hall, Haruka grabbed two onigiri from the cupboard, for once not in the mood for mackerel. Handing one to Makoto, he accepted it without comment. The normally short walk seemed to go on forever, and Haruka pretended that he couldn’t feel the weight of Makoto’s stare.

Suddenly Haruka ached for the pool, for the freedom it would provide. He could immerse himself, and nothing else mattered. But no, as much as he loved the water, as much as he wished for the escape, this was not something he could run from.

As they entered the train, Nagisa’s enthusiastic, “Haru-ch…” suddenly trailed off as his eyes went wide in shock. Rei’s book sagged in his suddenly lax grip as surprised eyes locked on Haruka as though he’d never seen him before.

And maybe he hadn’t, not like this.

“Haruka-kun, you’re a—”

No one could say it aloud.

“Yes.”

Rei and Nagisa shared a glance, and Haruka steadfastly refused to look at Makoto.

The rest of the ride to school was spent in uncomfortable silence.

Like every day following the full moon, the whispered gossip and speculation ran high, but the sudden silence follow by shocked murmurs that trailed after Haruka were more than the normal talk. Everyone had pegged him for an omega, even the instructors who had provided him with an omega kit despite his interviews having come back as inconclusive.

Three months prior when Rei came to school after his own maturity, it had caused nary a ripple in the status quo that he was an omega, and Haruka was sure that Nagisa’s maturity in two months would be much the same. Again in this Haruka had to be different, never ordinary, never normal, always bound by the expectations of others.

Classes passed by in a blur, and when lunch came instead of going to the roof with the others, Haruka found himself at the edge of the pool. For once he wasn’t overcome by the urge to dive in: its normally so tempting promises of escape holding no allure today. It wasn’t long before Makoto’s wavering reflection appeared in the water next to his own.

“What answers does the water hold today, Haruka?”

Makoto’s shimmering likeness wore the fake smile that Haruka hated, the one that he hid behind. It hurt to see it.

Suddenly as though he’d been shocked, Haruka’s hair stood on end as a tidal wave of rage swept over him, through him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They weren’t supposed to be like this.

Haruka barely remembered moving, but between one moment and the next, Makoto was suddenly on his back. Haruka straddled him, fists wrapped so tightly in Makoto’s uniform shirt that his knuckles went white. “Don’t just pretend that everything’s okay, that nothing’s changed.”

Makoto’s startled face quickly turned angry, and he shoved against Haruka who refused to let go. “You’re the one who’s pretending. You can’t hide it from me. I can smell it all over you, but not all of us can shut the world out like you can, no matter how much we wish we could. You’re not the only one hurting.” Makoto’s voice broke on the last word, and he turned his face to the side, eyes squeezed shut.

A sudden calmness settled over Haruka, and he dropped his head, lips barely brushing against Makoto’s.

Makoto’s muscles tensed as his breath left him in a whoosh against Haruka’s lips.

Taking the initiative, Haruka slanted his mouth over Makoto’s, his eyes drifting shut as he reveled in the feeling. It was like swimming in a away, a release, an escape, a homecoming.

However, between one second and the next Haruka found himself shoved away, his back hitting the water with such force that his breath escaped him in a pained rush.

But the pain was negligible compared to Makoto’s heartbreaking words.

“This is wrong.”

No, Haruka shook the water from his hair as he climbed out of the pool, the echo of Makoto’s footsteps retreating in the distance. No, Makoto was wrong. Something that felt this right couldn’t be wrong. There was never a truth that he held with such conviction as this. He’d make Makoto see how right this was.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not normally into the alpha/beta/omega dynamic, but I found when it's subverted it really works for me. Hope you enjoy.


End file.
